Colin took Joshua’s arm and drew him to his feet. “After breakfast,” he told Nate, then kissed Joshua’s cheek. “Get changed,grá mo chroí. Aggravating the FBI is hungry work.”
* * *
“Our staterooms are soquiet,”Nate said at breakfast, “I expected to be kept awake by party noises and excessive rowdiness. I mean, it’s agaycruise during PRIDE month!”
“You expected to find the deck littered with used condoms?” Colin asked. “And it seems we saw atonof partying last night.”
“Oh, don’t smirk!”
David tossed his napkin to the table. “We don’t hear any party noises because we’re in staterooms that are far,farremoved from the heavy-duty party areas.”
“And Ihaveseen a used condom or two,” Nate told Colin.
Colin shrugged. “You’d see that onanycruise, not just the gay ones.”
“What’s on the agenda for today?” Joshua asked. “I forget.”
“Well,” David said, then sipped from his coffee cup. “We weresupposedto take a seaplane ride to Misty Fjords.”
“Seaplane?” Joshua quavered.
“Relax,” David reassured him. “I canceled it.
“Why?” Colin asked.
“You missed the trek through the old-growth forest in Juneau because you were trying to help an injured woman find a bit of peace. So, I decided that today we would…” he lifted a pamphlet and read: “'Walk through the magical Tonga National Forest, an old-growth rainforest displaying impressive specimens of Sitka spruce and western red cedar fencing in the trail.” He gazed at Colin over the pamphlet. “We’re all signed up.”
Colin said nothing for a long time, but his gaze locked with David’s and didn’t falter. “Thank you,” he said finally. “Thank you, my friend.”
“Take a walk through the rainforest with Joshua,” David suggested. “It’ll clear your head.”
“And heal my soul.”
“More than likely.”
“What time are we leaving?” Joshua asked.
“Our van leaves the dock at 1:00 p.m.”
“Good!” Joshua said. “Because after breakfast, I’m going to chat with Louise Stamford.”
“She contacted you?” Colin asked him, and Joshua nodded.
“She texted me while the feds were here, and I set up a meeting with her for after breakfast.”
Colin took Joshua’s hand in his and lifted it to his lips. “Thank you, my love.”
* * *
Their trekthrough the Tongass National Forest began with a forty-minute scenic drive to the trailhead, where their guide awaited. Joshua made it to the departure site with only minutes to spare. “Sorry!” he told his husband. “I just left Louise.”
“I wouldn’t have gone without you,” Colin told him. “How is she?”
“She sees a therapist already and promised to check in with him as soon as she gets home. She’s doing as well as can be expected,” he told Colin. ”She’s holding it together. I advised her to call if she wants to chat again.” He nudged Colin’s arm. “She really liked you. Said talking with you helped.”
Colin wrapped an arm around his neck and kissed his cheek. “Good to hear.”
“I don’t know how much good I did,” Joshua told his husband as they climbed into the waiting van. “But at least she knows help is there if she wants it.”
